Formal Discussion Blogs

Welcome to the Discussion Blog!

This is where all of our formal class discussions will take place. During each lesson, a different group of students will be responsible for posting our discussion material—they will shape the discussion for that particular segment of the class. The rest of you will be required to respond to these posts by selecting the ‘add new comment' feature on the bottom right hand side of the post. I have written the discussion posts for Lesson One to help all of you get familiar with the format, and each of you are required to post your two comments on the Lesson One Discussion Blog Posts. See below for more detailed information. As always, if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask!

Discussion Blog Post:

(Approx. 150-250 words)

At one point during the semester, you will be required to post a formal discussion piece to the blog under the Discussion Blog. Go to the Calendar section of weblog to sign up for your Discussion Blog Post. This single post is worth a substantial portion of your grade, so you should spend a fair bit of time crafting it. The content of your post should come from the assigned readings for that lesson as well as your instructor's Lesson Overview Blog and it should connect these materials to current events or real world scenarios. It should be provocative and be able to stimulate a discussion. I will grade your post based on your ability to demonstrate mastery of the lesson content and engage the learning and discussion of others in the course. The post that generates the most discussion will be awarded extra credit. All posts must be submitted 1 hour before lesson opens on either Monday @ 8am or Wednesday @ noon, though they will not be published until the lesson officially opens.

Discussion Blog Comments:

(Approx. 100 words)

During each lesson, you are required to comment on the Discussion Posts. You are required to comment even during the lesson that you write a Discussion Blog Post. Think of these comments as our class discussion, where you engage with ideas and puzzle through the course material. You are required to make at least 2 comments per lesson, and they need to be no less than 10 hours apart to be eligible for full credit. (i.e. if you post at 8am on Monday morning, you must wait until 6pm to post your second comment.) To be eligible for full credit, you must read all the previous comments and make a new and unique contribution to the discussion. I will grade your post based on the addition it makes to the conversation. A comment that merely agrees with an already expressed opinion will not receive credit. Discussion comments will be GRADED RANDOMLY at four separate times during the semester, so you will not receive a grade for every comment. Remember, there is a 2 comment minimum during every lesson, though you may post as many comments as you like. Spirited participation may help borderline grades.